As the Howard County community tries to cope with the tragedy that unfolded at the Columbia Mall on Saturday in which a gunman killed two mall employees before killing himself, the family of one of the victims said they want to carry on the legacy their son was building.

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Tyler Johnson, 25, was one of two people killed in the Saturday morning shooting.

Johnson's aunt, Sydney Petty, told 11 News that Johnson's parents are devastated but coping the best they can. She said they are hoping that the legacy their son was starting to build will be carried on.

"With Tyler, we have lost a kind, positive son who reached out to help others in need, and he made a difference. This is so unbelievable. Our prayers are with him, the other victims and all the people who have been touched by this senseless violence," Petty said as she read a statement prepared by the 25-year-old's parents.

Johnson was shot to death alongside 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo by 19-year-old Darion Aguilar, according to police. Petty said as the news was breaking, Johnson's parents held out hope that he was safe.

"They knew that he was working there at the mall, and they kept trying to reach him, and they couldn't reach him. They thought he was hiding in a concrete barrier type place where there was no cellphone service. That was their hope for many hours, and then they found out eventually that, you know," Petty said.

As far as a motive for the shootings, Petty said the family had no idea who Aguilar was and that the relationship between Johnson and Benlolo, who both worked at Zumiez, was strictly a working one.

"Tyler didn't have anything beyond a working relationship with this girl. He would have mentioned it if he did. He never did. We're just as confused as anybody," Petty said.

Johnson's aunt said he was very involved in the community, sitting on the board of a Mount Airy serenity center helping people addicted to drugs.

"He had his struggles in life, and he struggled very hard to overcome his problems. Then he reached out to others to help them overcome theirs," Petty said.

Johnson graduated from Centennial High School and attended Montgomery County Community College. It seemed he had a bright future that was torn down by senseless violence.

"My brother and his wife are being very, very strong, and I'm proud of them. I'm just very proud," Petty said.

According to friends on Facebook, Benlolo leaves behind a 2-year-old son. Her grandfather told the Associated Press that she came from a military family that moved from Colorado to Maryland and that she was on good terms with her son's father.

11 News tried to speak with the brother of Benlolo on Sunday afternoon, but he said he was too broken up to talk.